Wednesday, February 16, 2011

World Cup 2011-The Real Contenders-Australia

The champions of the past three world cups, winner in one and runner up in second of the world cups held in sub-continent.A powerful history indeed.But good history doesn't mean a pleasant future.Australia are not even close to the team they were once.With many senior players retiring after 2007 and injury worries ,there is not a smile in punter's face.He has many questions to answer.After losing ashes to England 2-1 last year his place as captain has seriously come to doubt,but with world cup around the corner Australian selection board was not prepared to take a chance by giving clarke the captaincy who is not in good form recently.But Ponting too is not .Anyways let us have a look up,whether the team has the skill ,the ruthlessness the Australian team of the past have carried into world cups.

Shane Watson ,a player who has won the Border award for the second year is in supreme form but has the tendency not to carry the good form into making huge amount of runs and instead failing to cross 50's .Yet he is one of australia's few good batsman.His opening partner Haddin is always the ship crossing the tip of iceberg.He may survive it and go onto play a great innings or may just get hit in the iceberg and falter.Ricky Ponting's career has never fancied the indian pitches and always comes a cropper in very good spinning wickets.yet he is the player who has shown signs of good form in the practice matches and has a huge responsibility of producing innings that he produced in 2003 world cup finals.The middle order of the Australians is brittle.The recent form of cameron white has turned worrisome and clarke though shined at the end of the england series is till not dependable as he was years ago.With newbies like callum ferguson , david hussey yet to get accustomed to spinning wickets,they are not in for a good time in the sub-continent.

The bowling department is slightly better.Brett Lee is back to fitness and with Tait ,Johnson and Bollinger to support him they have a good fast men going bang against the opposition in the first 15 overs.John Hastings ,a recent addition to the team also has bowled well.It is a very good spinner they lack.Jason Krezja has showed signs of getting the loop he needs and with michael clarke being a successful spinner in spinning wickets ,Australian have little to worry in bowling department compared to batting.

Everything said,the weakness of Australia is lucid.they lack hard hitters like symonds ,matchwinners like hussey and bowlers like mcgrath and warne.They would make past the group stages as the no of teams they have to worry about his less,it's when the super8's gets going they should start worrying where they will have to play against quality teams.My advice to them win as many matches as possible in group so that the super 8's wont be that tough.

As a Australian fan i pray that they never face India or srilanka in the semis or the finals ,because they possess the two great spin attacks in present cricket generation.*